There have been some very memorable moments in the last few weeks, and I even jotted (or the modern equivalent) a few of them down.
Two weekends ago, when the weather was a bit hot, I took a nice long bike ride, added too much powder to my Gatorade, and had to drink a syrupy concoction for nearly three hours. On the plus side, I ran afterwards, making that my first brick in at least five years! I'm not planning a triumphant return to triathlon anytime soon, but it felt pretty good. On same bike ride I had a long burst of unexpected energy - not from a tailwind as is the usual cause.
A more exquisite and ephemeral moment was the first bite of a porcini and truffle oil risotto at a local restaurant (Sabore) in the midst of a very fun dinner with Jess and my parents. In my reality, a slow dinner talking with friends and family ranks right up there with a great run as one of life's true pleasures.
Somewhere in the last two weeks, Max was tired and sat still in my arms while I sang to him. He is rarely still, so just as the other day when he fell asleep across my chest it was sublime. The irony is that we have seen many different sides of Max after an accident/incident one week ago. He had his little toe partially amputated in a recliner, and after a few days of staying calm, the gruesomeness and fear started to sink in for me. It is too easy to brush it off as something minor that will have no lasting impact (which it won't), but really I think this was a big deal for us. No coincidence that for the few days he couldn't walk, his language development went crazy.
Otherwise, life has been good. Work is more stressful than I like, but I am finding much joy at home. Jess and I are both being reasonably good with the paleo-esque diet we are practicing. I've been enjoying workouts but frustrated by a mystery wrist sprain. I am looking forward to run again (more than my current 20-30 minutes), but also enjoy being motivated to cycle more by my friend Gary.
All for now.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Back to borrowed basics
Tonight's workout was simple and old-school: 50 pull-ups, 100 push-ups, one-arm single-leg deadlifts, and a running form exercise. The fun part, I realized as I finished, is that each part is borrowed. Here's how it broke down:
The pull-up / push-up section, while not an original concept, was taken almost verbatim from Dean Karnazes, in a Runner's World blog post on cross training.
15 standard pull-ups
15 behind neck pull-ups
15 chin-ups
5 standard / chin switch grip
40 standard push-ups (with bars)
20 triangle push-ups
20 wide grip push-ups (with bars)
20 standing (pike) push-ups (with bars)
These were mixed around in various sets.
The one-arm single-leg deadlift is an exercise originally given to me by a physical therapist, and then written about by Tim Ferriss in the Four Hour Body. Today I did 10 on each side with 30 pound dumbbells.
Finally, the running form exercise, call the 100-up was recently found and (re-)published by Chris McDougall in the New York Times. This one is to train my legs so I can run well when I get my knee fixed! I did the "minor" version.
All in all, a nice workout.
-----
As I wrote last time, I have been experimenting with the Paleo diet, or at least my variation thereof. For those who want to know, it has been: meats, vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, and beer. I also put a bit of soy milk into fruit and spinach smoothies. The first week went great, although I did feel a bit hungry near the end of the week. I had my first weekly "cheat" day, which I enjoyed, but starting again this week I have felt no real cravings for sweets or bread. (Well, except when my kids were enjoying those sweet Hawaiian rolls that Publix sells near the fried chicken). My compliance has been pretty darn good, if I do say. My energy level has been noticeably more even (but am I more sensitive to lack of sleep??). Finally, I have lost several pounds with minimal effort. Hmmm. The plan is to try this thing for six weeks or so and re-assess then. So far, so good.
The pull-up / push-up section, while not an original concept, was taken almost verbatim from Dean Karnazes, in a Runner's World blog post on cross training.
15 standard pull-ups
15 behind neck pull-ups
15 chin-ups
5 standard / chin switch grip
40 standard push-ups (with bars)
20 triangle push-ups
20 wide grip push-ups (with bars)
20 standing (pike) push-ups (with bars)
These were mixed around in various sets.
The one-arm single-leg deadlift is an exercise originally given to me by a physical therapist, and then written about by Tim Ferriss in the Four Hour Body. Today I did 10 on each side with 30 pound dumbbells.
Finally, the running form exercise, call the 100-up was recently found and (re-)published by Chris McDougall in the New York Times. This one is to train my legs so I can run well when I get my knee fixed! I did the "minor" version.
All in all, a nice workout.
-----
As I wrote last time, I have been experimenting with the Paleo diet, or at least my variation thereof. For those who want to know, it has been: meats, vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, and beer. I also put a bit of soy milk into fruit and spinach smoothies. The first week went great, although I did feel a bit hungry near the end of the week. I had my first weekly "cheat" day, which I enjoyed, but starting again this week I have felt no real cravings for sweets or bread. (Well, except when my kids were enjoying those sweet Hawaiian rolls that Publix sells near the fried chicken). My compliance has been pretty darn good, if I do say. My energy level has been noticeably more even (but am I more sensitive to lack of sleep??). Finally, I have lost several pounds with minimal effort. Hmmm. The plan is to try this thing for six weeks or so and re-assess then. So far, so good.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Mojo reclamation project
The longer you go without writing, the harder it is to start again. After a week goes by, it feels like you have to have something pretty good to say. After a month goes by, it feels like you have to write a deep, lengthy, moving account of your inner life (not too depressing, mind you). But of course, the way to start writing is to just start writing. I started this blog for that purpose, after years of almost no non-medical writing. Running was, and is, a convenient jumping off point. But as this blogging thing has faded a bit in the last few months, I miss the writing, however meager, and I miss the chance to share those random thoughts and ideas that pop into my head.
So, here's what is happening:
My knee surgery is scheduled for January 4th. My latest experiment with a joint injection worked wonders--for four weeks. I hope the surgery helps (not a guarantee by any means), and I hope I have a lot of good running years left in me. If not, thought, I am proud of the fact that I went down fighting, with a PR marathon, and proud of the fact that I have cultivated yoga, cycling, and even some lifting as darn good alternatives. Still, I really hope that sticking a scope and a few surgical instruments into my knee turns out to be a good thing. If I am permitted to remain awake to watch, I'll let you know how the video turns out.
Lifting and cycling in particular have been going well. I have adopted a set of core lifting maneuvers culled from friends, crossfit, and the four hour body, and so far I have been feeling good. These include Kettlebell swings, dead lifts (one and two arm), Turkish get ups, torture twists, and the aptly named cat vomit exercise, in addition to the calisthenics and dumbbell maneuvers that I already enjoy. My cycling resurgence is in full swing, kicked off by a recent mountain ride in Georgia, with some good training rides and another century race coming up soon. Yoga is on a bit of a hold as some weird virus has re-inflamed an old wrist injury.
I have started a paleo-esque diet, just today, so more on that as it succeeds, evolves, or fails.
Congratulations to brother Joe for a strong finish at the Savannah Rock'N'Roll half marathon!
Finally, my family is amazing, truly amazing, and I continue to gain more satisfaction, love, and enjoyment an I thought possible out of time spent with them. Highlight of the week, month, or year perhaps:
So, here's what is happening:
My knee surgery is scheduled for January 4th. My latest experiment with a joint injection worked wonders--for four weeks. I hope the surgery helps (not a guarantee by any means), and I hope I have a lot of good running years left in me. If not, thought, I am proud of the fact that I went down fighting, with a PR marathon, and proud of the fact that I have cultivated yoga, cycling, and even some lifting as darn good alternatives. Still, I really hope that sticking a scope and a few surgical instruments into my knee turns out to be a good thing. If I am permitted to remain awake to watch, I'll let you know how the video turns out.
Lifting and cycling in particular have been going well. I have adopted a set of core lifting maneuvers culled from friends, crossfit, and the four hour body, and so far I have been feeling good. These include Kettlebell swings, dead lifts (one and two arm), Turkish get ups, torture twists, and the aptly named cat vomit exercise, in addition to the calisthenics and dumbbell maneuvers that I already enjoy. My cycling resurgence is in full swing, kicked off by a recent mountain ride in Georgia, with some good training rides and another century race coming up soon. Yoga is on a bit of a hold as some weird virus has re-inflamed an old wrist injury.
I have started a paleo-esque diet, just today, so more on that as it succeeds, evolves, or fails.
Congratulations to brother Joe for a strong finish at the Savannah Rock'N'Roll half marathon!
Finally, my family is amazing, truly amazing, and I continue to gain more satisfaction, love, and enjoyment an I thought possible out of time spent with them. Highlight of the week, month, or year perhaps:
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Nice day for a run
It's been a mellow week since getting back from the bike race on Tuesday night. Took a couple of "zero days", as in zero mileage, then a short but sweet bike ride on Saturday early evening. Since the weather has turned overnight to cool(er), sunny, and dry fall days, this was an especially nice ride. I got into a groove, shifted into a big gear, and cruised.
Today I took a very pleasant run, with some pull ups and push ups at Westside Park in the middle. Did some kettlebell swings and other miscellaneous sit-up variations on returning. Again, the weather was nearly perfect. It was also nice to know that even though my knee is hurting a touch more over the last few weeks, I can still get out for a run without any problem. Not ready to go under the knife quite yet... I am still working on my pose/Chi running form, which may allow me to postpone the inevitable.
Saturday: bike 16.3 miles
Today (Sunday):
run 4.25 miles
30 pull ups
80 push ups (various)
Kettlebell swings
Swiss ball sit ups
"cat vomit" exercise
Flying dog
Bicycle crunches
Boat and variations
Plank and side plank hold
Today I took a very pleasant run, with some pull ups and push ups at Westside Park in the middle. Did some kettlebell swings and other miscellaneous sit-up variations on returning. Again, the weather was nearly perfect. It was also nice to know that even though my knee is hurting a touch more over the last few weeks, I can still get out for a run without any problem. Not ready to go under the knife quite yet... I am still working on my pose/Chi running form, which may allow me to postpone the inevitable.
Saturday: bike 16.3 miles
Today (Sunday):
run 4.25 miles
30 pull ups
80 push ups (various)
Kettlebell swings
Swiss ball sit ups
"cat vomit" exercise
Flying dog
Bicycle crunches
Boat and variations
Plank and side plank hold
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Three Gap / awash in memories
One thing that makes a race really cool for me is doing it somewhere I feel connected to. Not that I wouldn't love to travel to do a randomly located exotic race, but I have tended to stay in places either closer to home or that have other meaning. As an example, the ironman I did in 2003 (Great Floridian) was the same race I had a few years earlier watched a friend of mine finish, when the seed was planted for me to do that. Most marathons and my lone ultra have been near home (Vermont City Marathon, Vermont 50, Five Points of Life in Gainesville, FL). For bike trips, I rode Ride the Rockies in 2005, days before moving away from Colorado (also the state where both of my parents grew up).
My most recent effort, the Three Gap Fifty, fit into this pattern. Gary Wimsett, a good friend and a fine upstanding citizen, came up with the idea after we had spent a few months discussing an adventure of some sort. Unfortunately, we decided to go a mere six weeks before race time, leaving minimal training time. The actual race, a road bike ride, is the "Six Gap Century," which takes place in North Georgia and has several solid climbs for a total elevation gain of 11000+ feet over 103 miles. It sounded fun but the reality of training in flat Florida for only six weeks made us realize that the short version was a better goal. A few of Gary's friends were doing it, and it was in an area I had visited before at least three times, for hikes on the southernmost section of the Appalachian Trail. In fact, the place names are so burned in my memory that I felt like I would be riding through familiar territory despite never having cycled anywhere near here. Gary and I planned to do the ride, then spend a few days hiking in the area - the makings of great road trip.
So, we trained as best we could -- in fact, as I wrote last time, I felt that the minimal but efficient training had been fruitful. The few days before the race I felt good (though Gary was battling a respiratory infection with a little help from the pharmaceutical industry). We packed up the car and left, each debating for a while whether we out to stick with the plan and do the 58 mile ride, or just go for the century. As is usual for me, I changed my mind to the 100, only to change it back the morning before the race.
We met up with Gary's friends, Isaac and Dave, and stayed in Dave's brother's cabin (I think I have that right, although the "relative of a friend of a friend" relationship is a tricky one). A fair amount of trash talking ensued as we ate a gigantic pre-race meal and watched football. Though we went to bed early, I couldn't sleep thanks to the double espresso I had earlier that day. Par for the course before a big event.
Race day was outstanding, with temps in the high 50s and sun. We drove to the start, and from the first few miles I knew it would be a good day. I felt strong, and the climbs were reasonable (in fact, despite being a flatlander I felt as good as I had climbing similar hills after living and training in Colorado at altitude) What I really enjoyed was the fun of riding, and the purity of climbing. This is hard to explain but I have talked to others who have had the same experience -- whether walking up a long snow climb with an ice ax, pedaling in low gear for an hour straight, or running up a mountain, the meditative quality of working hard in a repetitive way while in a beautiful place is incredible. I have never been ashamed to have and use a triple chain ring, and I used it then. The race was well supported and the cyclists were friendly. The toughest climb for me was Wolfpen Gap - a shorter but more consistently steep effort than the earlier longer climb up Neels Gap. The weather got warm later in the day, but this was after the major climbs and we finished up with a sunny ride through a pleasant valley.
We finished our portion in just over 5 hours, enjoyed the post-race festivites, and went to Gary's father's house (also in the same area), where our post-race recovery "meal" spanned 48 hours. A sampler: spaghetti and meatballs, steak with homemade potato salad, biscuits and ham with grits and eggs, Bavarian sausage and pretzels with beer, fried chicken and potatoes, pancakes and ham. A particularly gluttonous episode was eating and drinking the aforementioned Bavarian "snack" in Helen, GA at 3 pm knowing that friend chicken dinner awaiting us at 6 pm! We did hike that day, enough to loosen up our legs and enjoy the scenery (as well as make me recall, quite fondly, the 800+ mile hike I took with Jess the summer before we got married).
All in all, this was a great event and a great road trip. I plan to return next year for the big boy version, and I think having that goal will provide a nice motivation to cycle more (as well as a nice distraction from not running, depending on how my knee does). All for now.
My most recent effort, the Three Gap Fifty, fit into this pattern. Gary Wimsett, a good friend and a fine upstanding citizen, came up with the idea after we had spent a few months discussing an adventure of some sort. Unfortunately, we decided to go a mere six weeks before race time, leaving minimal training time. The actual race, a road bike ride, is the "Six Gap Century," which takes place in North Georgia and has several solid climbs for a total elevation gain of 11000+ feet over 103 miles. It sounded fun but the reality of training in flat Florida for only six weeks made us realize that the short version was a better goal. A few of Gary's friends were doing it, and it was in an area I had visited before at least three times, for hikes on the southernmost section of the Appalachian Trail. In fact, the place names are so burned in my memory that I felt like I would be riding through familiar territory despite never having cycled anywhere near here. Gary and I planned to do the ride, then spend a few days hiking in the area - the makings of great road trip.
So, we trained as best we could -- in fact, as I wrote last time, I felt that the minimal but efficient training had been fruitful. The few days before the race I felt good (though Gary was battling a respiratory infection with a little help from the pharmaceutical industry). We packed up the car and left, each debating for a while whether we out to stick with the plan and do the 58 mile ride, or just go for the century. As is usual for me, I changed my mind to the 100, only to change it back the morning before the race.
We met up with Gary's friends, Isaac and Dave, and stayed in Dave's brother's cabin (I think I have that right, although the "relative of a friend of a friend" relationship is a tricky one). A fair amount of trash talking ensued as we ate a gigantic pre-race meal and watched football. Though we went to bed early, I couldn't sleep thanks to the double espresso I had earlier that day. Par for the course before a big event.
 |
| Riding partner, Gary |
Race day was outstanding, with temps in the high 50s and sun. We drove to the start, and from the first few miles I knew it would be a good day. I felt strong, and the climbs were reasonable (in fact, despite being a flatlander I felt as good as I had climbing similar hills after living and training in Colorado at altitude) What I really enjoyed was the fun of riding, and the purity of climbing. This is hard to explain but I have talked to others who have had the same experience -- whether walking up a long snow climb with an ice ax, pedaling in low gear for an hour straight, or running up a mountain, the meditative quality of working hard in a repetitive way while in a beautiful place is incredible. I have never been ashamed to have and use a triple chain ring, and I used it then. The race was well supported and the cyclists were friendly. The toughest climb for me was Wolfpen Gap - a shorter but more consistently steep effort than the earlier longer climb up Neels Gap. The weather got warm later in the day, but this was after the major climbs and we finished up with a sunny ride through a pleasant valley.
 |
| Recovery meal. |
 |
| View from hike |
 |
| Feeling good afterward |
All in all, this was a great event and a great road trip. I plan to return next year for the big boy version, and I think having that goal will provide a nice motivation to cycle more (as well as a nice distraction from not running, depending on how my knee does). All for now.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Training - Proof of Concept // Roadkill
First, the roadkill: on the bike this morning conditions were perfect for the ripest collection of roadkill I have ever seen and smelled. I'm not sure what made all of the animals run out onto the pavement last night but the humidity was perfect for transmitting the odor of armadillo, possum, and other creatures. Yuck.
Now for the meat of the post: for years, I trained without a particularly scientific approach, except for trying to run, bike, or swim frequently and for nearly as long a distance as I would need to travel in the upcoming event. I would even say I was stubborn in this approach, since I read and spoke with many people using better and more scientific training methods. I think I accomplished a few neat things, but it wasn't until 9 months ago that I really applied some novel (to me) training techniques. Specifically, in December I got a fancy new GPS watch with a heart rate monitor. In testing out its features, I did a bunch of interval workouts, though certainly not an intentionally designed interval training program. The marathon I ran in February was a personal best, by quite a bit, beating an 8 year record for me. Not much else was different in my training, other than an injured knee and less overall training mileage. I was able to start at and maintain a faster pace and had a great race.
About six weeks ago a good friend suggested we ride an upcoming hilly road bike race in North Georgia (no, not the Tour de Georgia, but the Six Gap Century--really we haven't decided between that and the kiddie version, the "Three Gap Fifty", but I have a feeling we may say fuck it and just go for the gold). So, with little training time and few substantial hills around here, not to mention a busy work schedule, I decided upon a simple training schedule: one longer ride weekly, and one interval ride weekly, as well as some lifting, yoga, and light running. The interval rides were either a short Tabata protocol, longer power intervals on the indoor bike, or, once, 10 repeats on one of the better hills in town (Chestnut Hill). The amazing part is that today, on a short shakedown ride two days before the race, I can feel the difference in a big way. My average speed is faster, I want to ride in a higher gear, and I felt great--not really the result of tapering as I haven't been training "hard" enough for the concept to have meaning.
To some of my faithful readers this will come as no surprise, but to me it was almost a revelation: the last two training cycles produced good results with the introduction of a minimal amount of interval training. So yes, I may be the last convert, but here I am. We'll see how the ride goes, in the beautiful mountains of north Georgia and through the very mountains and gaps that loom large in my memory after many great hiking trips in that area. One in particular I remember because Jess and I had stopped there to rest and watched a sheet of driving rain pour down the mountainside, pass over us, and recede up the other side.
Finally, my knee has been quite good for the last three weeks. I have run once weekly and haven't felt pain during or afterward. It is getting stiff lately in the mornings, though, so if there is no lasting improvement after the steroid wears off, I guess I'll talk to the surgeon again...
More after the ride.
Now for the meat of the post: for years, I trained without a particularly scientific approach, except for trying to run, bike, or swim frequently and for nearly as long a distance as I would need to travel in the upcoming event. I would even say I was stubborn in this approach, since I read and spoke with many people using better and more scientific training methods. I think I accomplished a few neat things, but it wasn't until 9 months ago that I really applied some novel (to me) training techniques. Specifically, in December I got a fancy new GPS watch with a heart rate monitor. In testing out its features, I did a bunch of interval workouts, though certainly not an intentionally designed interval training program. The marathon I ran in February was a personal best, by quite a bit, beating an 8 year record for me. Not much else was different in my training, other than an injured knee and less overall training mileage. I was able to start at and maintain a faster pace and had a great race.
About six weeks ago a good friend suggested we ride an upcoming hilly road bike race in North Georgia (no, not the Tour de Georgia, but the Six Gap Century--really we haven't decided between that and the kiddie version, the "Three Gap Fifty", but I have a feeling we may say fuck it and just go for the gold). So, with little training time and few substantial hills around here, not to mention a busy work schedule, I decided upon a simple training schedule: one longer ride weekly, and one interval ride weekly, as well as some lifting, yoga, and light running. The interval rides were either a short Tabata protocol, longer power intervals on the indoor bike, or, once, 10 repeats on one of the better hills in town (Chestnut Hill). The amazing part is that today, on a short shakedown ride two days before the race, I can feel the difference in a big way. My average speed is faster, I want to ride in a higher gear, and I felt great--not really the result of tapering as I haven't been training "hard" enough for the concept to have meaning.
To some of my faithful readers this will come as no surprise, but to me it was almost a revelation: the last two training cycles produced good results with the introduction of a minimal amount of interval training. So yes, I may be the last convert, but here I am. We'll see how the ride goes, in the beautiful mountains of north Georgia and through the very mountains and gaps that loom large in my memory after many great hiking trips in that area. One in particular I remember because Jess and I had stopped there to rest and watched a sheet of driving rain pour down the mountainside, pass over us, and recede up the other side.
Finally, my knee has been quite good for the last three weeks. I have run once weekly and haven't felt pain during or afterward. It is getting stiff lately in the mornings, though, so if there is no lasting improvement after the steroid wears off, I guess I'll talk to the surgeon again...
More after the ride.
Friday, September 2, 2011
A Blog in 3 Acts: Knee, Superdad, Workouts
A blog in three parts (a la This American Life)
Act I: a knee, a needle, and running.
This morning I got my knee injected with a mixture of lidocaine (a nearly immediate-onset and short-acting anesthetic), Marcaine (longer acting anesthetic), and triamcinilone (cortisocosteroid). I did this primarily as a diagnostic step to make sure I really want/need to have surgery on the knee. Sure enough, after watching contrast fill my joint space on a fluoro (real-time X-ray) screen, and after having the medications injected, I drove home and took a run. Since running is the surest way to get my knee to hurt, I figured if this injection let me run without pain, I would know the problem is in the joint space and feel more confident about pursuing surgery.
The run was probably the most comfortable run I've had in six to eight months. Certainly it was the only one in the last five months that didn't just plain hurt. Sure, I had a few creaks that lasted the first two minutes (expected) and sure, my knee joint felt fuller (well, I had just had a teaspoon or two of extra fluid injected into the space), but man, it was so nice not feeling a deep, vague pain and a sensation of instability in that knee. I tried to play it very safe so I ran for 22 minutes around the neighborhood and stopped, despite feeling like I could have gone 15 miles. I got back and did some pushups, pull ups and kettle bell swings, iced my knee, and called it a day. At this point, the anesthetic has worn off, and the steroids have not fully kicked in, so it aches but still feels better than "usual" after a run like this. I am hopeful that in a few days it will feel good and remain that way for at least six weeks. After that, probably surgery.
So I have to sit back and wonder how I have come to this place of planning completely elective knee surgery for a problem that really only has (strong) circumstantial evidence to show that it is there. The best direct evidence I have is on MRI: a congenitally abnormal right lateral meniscus (discoid), but we have seen no tear. Why then, when six months ago I swore repeatedly that there was no way I was letting a surgeon touch my knee etc. etc., does this seem so reasonable? I'll tell you: I love running, and I can't do it. I've tried two rounds of physical therapy, four physicians in three specialties, changing my running form, resting, and cross training, and the fucker still hurts. The last straw was when, a few days before my appointment with the surgeon--a great guy, by the way--I went running and had fun for 40 minutes but my knee hurt for four days. If it doesn't work and I can't really run anymore, at least I tried. But, damn it, I still want to have a go at a few more marathons and a hundred miler, even if I only get another decade of running in.
Act II: Superdad rides again
Jess (my wife) was away for five days recently. It was planned for four days but because of a certain hurricane Irene, she was detained in Portland Maine for an extra day. I had never had all three kids for such a long time before, and certainly had a lot of help from my parents but as we ultimately settled into a rhythm I realized that this was a milestone for me: it was a positive and productive time that despite being challenging was not overwhelmingly stressful. I spent all of my waking non-work time with the children, got a much better sense of their daily routines, complete with ebbs and flows, and was so happy that Jess got to have a substantial trip both mourning the loss of her aunt and visiting with close family members.
So, Superdad rode again, and he's not even dreading his next ride...
Act III: Working Out and Lifestyle Modification
I read two interesting books by the same author recently: Four Hour Workweek, and Four Hour Body.
The first is a somewhat cohesive look at how to game the system, outsource time consuming tasks, and live a life of travel and leisure. I have to admit it has a certain appeal but seems limit for me - whose job depends on time with people, and who has three fairly young children. The take home message was setting firm limits on work and sticking to them without remorse. Easier said that done?
Four Hour Body is a less cohesive printed collection of blog entries on nutrition, weight loss, fitness, sleep, sex, and general approach to life. My favorite thing is that it doesn't claim to cure cancer or solve all problems, just provides some interesting ways to achieve certain goals that worked for the author. As such, I took a bunch of workout ideas and a few nutrition ideas and have been incorporating them into my workout rotation. As I am still struggling to reach "race weight" after sixteen months now, I may try out the food part as well...
In any case, here's a sampling of the last week or two:
Sunday, Aug 21: run 4.25 miles, proving my knee just ain't right.
Wednesday, Aug 24: 55 pull ups, 110 pushups. The pull ups are mostly standard grip with some chin up grip and a few wide and narrow grip, in sets of 2-7 The push ups are mixed standard, military, decline, and wide grip, in sets of 115. Done in mid afternoon in a local park after work.
Friday, Aug 26: indoor bike 12.5 mi hill intervals, yoga 45 minutes. The bike was s poor effort but the yoga was fantastic (dagmar's afternoon grounding practice on YouTube, if I remember correctly)
Sunday, Aug 28: Bike 40 miles in the hilliest section of town. Yes, I know in Gainesville that isn't saying much, but we tried. I rode this with my friend Gary. It was about 94 degrees with 70% humidity. We are going to north Georgia in a few weeks to ride the Three Gap Fifty, the junior partner of the Six Gap Century (http://www.cyclenorthgeorgia.com/). This will be challenging given the lack of available hills and mountains here, but we are counting on training in extreme heat and some intense intervals to pull us through...
Monday, Aug 29: Lifting for core stability, biceps, triceps, and shoulders:
Hip flexor stretch
Kettle bell swings 30 x 30 lb (my first time doing this)
Handstand pushups x 10 (with wall support!)
Swiss ball crunch x 20
Bridges x 20 and Flying Dog x 10/side (on all fours, extending opposite arm and leg)
Bicep curls max weight 6 reps
Hammer curls max weight 6 reps
Tricep overhead lift max weight 8 reps
Tricep kickback max eight 8 reps
Cat vomit exercise x 8 (this one is straight from four hour body - search for it on YouTube)
Plank hold 60sec, side plank hold 45 sec each side
Turkish getups, 20 lb dumbbell, 5/ side (again, I am a rank beginner at these)
Wednesday, Aug 31: Kettlebell swings 30 x 40 lb, torture twists 3 x 3/side (unweighted), indoor bike Tabata intervals, yoga 25 minutes (a "shiva rea" video with my own additions). Torture twists are also from the four hour body book, basically lie perpendicular to a weight bench with your butt on it and feet hooked under something solid, turning your body all the to one side then the other. These will be great when I work up to weighting them. My max instantaneous power output on the bike was 540 W. For me, this is good, and I was happy about it.
Friday, Sep 2 (today): run 22 min, kettle bell swings 35 x 40 lb, 60 pull ups and 150 push ups with bars (push ups and pull ups again a mix of styles).
Act I: a knee, a needle, and running.
This morning I got my knee injected with a mixture of lidocaine (a nearly immediate-onset and short-acting anesthetic), Marcaine (longer acting anesthetic), and triamcinilone (cortisocosteroid). I did this primarily as a diagnostic step to make sure I really want/need to have surgery on the knee. Sure enough, after watching contrast fill my joint space on a fluoro (real-time X-ray) screen, and after having the medications injected, I drove home and took a run. Since running is the surest way to get my knee to hurt, I figured if this injection let me run without pain, I would know the problem is in the joint space and feel more confident about pursuing surgery.
The run was probably the most comfortable run I've had in six to eight months. Certainly it was the only one in the last five months that didn't just plain hurt. Sure, I had a few creaks that lasted the first two minutes (expected) and sure, my knee joint felt fuller (well, I had just had a teaspoon or two of extra fluid injected into the space), but man, it was so nice not feeling a deep, vague pain and a sensation of instability in that knee. I tried to play it very safe so I ran for 22 minutes around the neighborhood and stopped, despite feeling like I could have gone 15 miles. I got back and did some pushups, pull ups and kettle bell swings, iced my knee, and called it a day. At this point, the anesthetic has worn off, and the steroids have not fully kicked in, so it aches but still feels better than "usual" after a run like this. I am hopeful that in a few days it will feel good and remain that way for at least six weeks. After that, probably surgery.
So I have to sit back and wonder how I have come to this place of planning completely elective knee surgery for a problem that really only has (strong) circumstantial evidence to show that it is there. The best direct evidence I have is on MRI: a congenitally abnormal right lateral meniscus (discoid), but we have seen no tear. Why then, when six months ago I swore repeatedly that there was no way I was letting a surgeon touch my knee etc. etc., does this seem so reasonable? I'll tell you: I love running, and I can't do it. I've tried two rounds of physical therapy, four physicians in three specialties, changing my running form, resting, and cross training, and the fucker still hurts. The last straw was when, a few days before my appointment with the surgeon--a great guy, by the way--I went running and had fun for 40 minutes but my knee hurt for four days. If it doesn't work and I can't really run anymore, at least I tried. But, damn it, I still want to have a go at a few more marathons and a hundred miler, even if I only get another decade of running in.
Act II: Superdad rides again
Jess (my wife) was away for five days recently. It was planned for four days but because of a certain hurricane Irene, she was detained in Portland Maine for an extra day. I had never had all three kids for such a long time before, and certainly had a lot of help from my parents but as we ultimately settled into a rhythm I realized that this was a milestone for me: it was a positive and productive time that despite being challenging was not overwhelmingly stressful. I spent all of my waking non-work time with the children, got a much better sense of their daily routines, complete with ebbs and flows, and was so happy that Jess got to have a substantial trip both mourning the loss of her aunt and visiting with close family members.
So, Superdad rode again, and he's not even dreading his next ride...
Act III: Working Out and Lifestyle Modification
My garage "home gym" -- >
I read two interesting books by the same author recently: Four Hour Workweek, and Four Hour Body.
The first is a somewhat cohesive look at how to game the system, outsource time consuming tasks, and live a life of travel and leisure. I have to admit it has a certain appeal but seems limit for me - whose job depends on time with people, and who has three fairly young children. The take home message was setting firm limits on work and sticking to them without remorse. Easier said that done?
Four Hour Body is a less cohesive printed collection of blog entries on nutrition, weight loss, fitness, sleep, sex, and general approach to life. My favorite thing is that it doesn't claim to cure cancer or solve all problems, just provides some interesting ways to achieve certain goals that worked for the author. As such, I took a bunch of workout ideas and a few nutrition ideas and have been incorporating them into my workout rotation. As I am still struggling to reach "race weight" after sixteen months now, I may try out the food part as well...
In any case, here's a sampling of the last week or two:
Sunday, Aug 21: run 4.25 miles, proving my knee just ain't right.
Wednesday, Aug 24: 55 pull ups, 110 pushups. The pull ups are mostly standard grip with some chin up grip and a few wide and narrow grip, in sets of 2-7 The push ups are mixed standard, military, decline, and wide grip, in sets of 115. Done in mid afternoon in a local park after work.
Friday, Aug 26: indoor bike 12.5 mi hill intervals, yoga 45 minutes. The bike was s poor effort but the yoga was fantastic (dagmar's afternoon grounding practice on YouTube, if I remember correctly)
Sunday, Aug 28: Bike 40 miles in the hilliest section of town. Yes, I know in Gainesville that isn't saying much, but we tried. I rode this with my friend Gary. It was about 94 degrees with 70% humidity. We are going to north Georgia in a few weeks to ride the Three Gap Fifty, the junior partner of the Six Gap Century (http://www.cyclenorthgeorgia.com/). This will be challenging given the lack of available hills and mountains here, but we are counting on training in extreme heat and some intense intervals to pull us through...
Monday, Aug 29: Lifting for core stability, biceps, triceps, and shoulders:
Hip flexor stretch
Kettle bell swings 30 x 30 lb (my first time doing this)
Handstand pushups x 10 (with wall support!)
Swiss ball crunch x 20
Bridges x 20 and Flying Dog x 10/side (on all fours, extending opposite arm and leg)
Bicep curls max weight 6 reps
Hammer curls max weight 6 reps
Tricep overhead lift max weight 8 reps
Tricep kickback max eight 8 reps
Cat vomit exercise x 8 (this one is straight from four hour body - search for it on YouTube)
Plank hold 60sec, side plank hold 45 sec each side
Turkish getups, 20 lb dumbbell, 5/ side (again, I am a rank beginner at these)
Wednesday, Aug 31: Kettlebell swings 30 x 40 lb, torture twists 3 x 3/side (unweighted), indoor bike Tabata intervals, yoga 25 minutes (a "shiva rea" video with my own additions). Torture twists are also from the four hour body book, basically lie perpendicular to a weight bench with your butt on it and feet hooked under something solid, turning your body all the to one side then the other. These will be great when I work up to weighting them. My max instantaneous power output on the bike was 540 W. For me, this is good, and I was happy about it.
Friday, Sep 2 (today): run 22 min, kettle bell swings 35 x 40 lb, 60 pull ups and 150 push ups with bars (push ups and pull ups again a mix of styles).
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